Vietnamese Inspired Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce 

With lots of fresh ingredients from the garden, a lime-marinated carrot salad, a creamy, tangy peanut hoisin sauce, and fresh mint, we have yet to have any leftovers when I make this meal. The sauce literally is good enough to drink! I was first introduced to these lettuce wraps with peanut sauce while visiting my friend Sherri in Canada, she served it to us for dinner and we devoured it!  

Over the years, I have simplified the recipe to make it easier to prepare.  It is fresh, crunchy and packed with pungent flavor. It makes four servings so if you have a large family, you may want to double the recipe.  I am normally not a huge fan of mint, but in this dish, it definitely merits being included. The mint compliments the other ingredients perfectly to take this meal from good to super delicious! I would compare it to the icing on a cake.

How to Make the Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce:

Cook The Ramen Noodles.

Cook according to package directions reserving the seasoning packet for the meat. When the noodles are al dente, drain and set aside.  Add 1/2 TBL of sesame oil to prevent noodles from sticking together.

Cook and season the meat.

We use ground turkey in this meal, but you could alternatively use ground beef if you prefer. Add 1 TBL of sesame oil to medium pan and cook meat over medium heat. Add the seasoning packet from ramen noodles, sesame seeds, ginger and garlic.  Continue cooking until browned.  Stirring and breaking meat into small pieces as it cooks. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare The Vegetables.

Cut and wash 4-6 large lettuce leaves, I like to use either Green Leaf, or Romaine. In a small bowl, combine lime juice and carrots, tear mint leaves into small pieces. Again, It might be tempting to omit the mint leaves, but I recommend you include them.

Chop the peanuts.

Use a food processor and pulse slightly.  Do not over pulse. If you are in a hurry, put the nuts into a zip lock bag and crush them lightly with a meat tenderizer.

Make the Peanut Hoisin Sauce.

Combine peanut butter, hoisin sauce and 3 TBL water. Heat in the microwave until warm approximately 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water just until it reaches pouring consistency.

Assemble The Lettuce Wraps

Lay out lettuce leaves and divide toppings between leaves. Layer the ingredients as follows;  ramen noodles, turkey, carrots and peanuts.  Sprinkle with chopped mint leaves. Pour peanut hoisin sauce on top and enjoy! Garnish with additional lime wedges, squeeze a little more lime juice onto the wrap just before eating as desired.